Day 168 1 Kings 18:1‐46; Acts 11:1‐30; Psalm 135:1‐21; Proverbs 17:12‐13 God Is Good While Psalm 134 is a call to praise the Lord, Psalm 135 provides motives for praise. We are all servants of the Lord, and we are all ministers of the house of the Lord; therefore, this psalm provides us all with…
Day 167 1 Kings 15:25‐17:24; Acts 10:23b‐48; Psalm 134:1‐3; Proverbs 17:9‐11 Praise Is the Goal Psalm 134 is the last of the Songs of Ascents. The goal of the Israelite pilgrimage was worship at the temple of the Lord. When the pilgrim would “arrive,” those who ministered at the temple were called to praise the…
Today’s readings shine a spotlight on the contrast between honesty and deceit, between duplicitous actions and trustworthy motives and actions.
Like Paul, we are being asked to trust in the gifts that we have been given, so that by and though these gifts we may bring others to the way, the truth and the life that is Christ.
Day 164 1 Kings 11:1‐12:19; Acts 9:1‐25; Psalm 131:1‐3; Proverbs 17:4‐5 Unlikely Choices Solomon—upright, faithful, wise beyond measure—strays from the Lord at the end of his life, neglects the commands and admonitions of the Lord, intermarries with a multitude of foreign women, and the consequences of his departure from the Lord include two wayward sons…
Day 163 1 Kings 9:1-10:29; Acts 8:14-40; Psalm 130:1-8; Proverbs 17:2-3 God’s Gift Cannot Be Bought Simon the magician has two problems. The first is that he thinks that he has something of equal value to the power of the Holy Spirit with which to buy that power. The second is that he is seeking…
Day 162 1 Kings 8:1‐66; Acts 7:51‐8:13; Psalm 129:1‐8; Proverb 17:1 The Stubbornness of a Cat Have you ever tried to teach your cat to play fetch? Doesn’t work, does it? Sure, a cat will go after a ball, but it will never return it. Cats do what they want to do, and that’s it….
Day 161 1 Kings 7:1‐51; Acts 7:30‐50; Psalm 128:1‐6; Proverbs 16:31‐33 God’s Temple In the passage from Acts, Stephen is defending himself from lying witnesses who claimed that Stephen spoke against the holy Temple and the law of Moses. Stephen responds with a history of God’s acts of salvation. Moses and the Temple are highlighted…
Day 160 1 Kings 5:1‐6:38; Acts 7:1‐29; Psalm 127:1‐5; Proverbs 16:28‐30 Solomon and Stephen: Built for Glory Oh, to live in the house that Solomon built. Oh, to speak the words that Stephen spoke! This day we are in the middle of things. The middle of Solomon’s construction of his house and other glorious structures built…
Day 159 1 Kings 3:4‐4:34; Acts 6:1-15; Psalm 126:1-6; Proverbs 16:26-27 Shaped to Be Used for the Kingdom St. Augustine, FL held a grand celebration of the 450th Anniversary of America’s First City in 2015. Ponce de Leon’s arrival in La Florida was part of the Age of Exploration: a time associated with names like…
Day 158 1 Kings 2:1-3:3; Acts 5:1-42; Psalm 125:1-5; Proverbs 16:25 Strong and Courageous, or Fearful and Foolhardy? David told Solomon to “be strong and courageous”; instead, Solomon is fearful, and consolidates his power by killing all of his perceived enemies, including his own brother. On the other hand, the apostles ARE strong and courageous,…
Day 1571 Kings 1:1‐53; Acts 4:1‐37; Psalm 124:1‐8; Proverbs 16:24 I Promise I’ll Change “I promise I’ll change.” Such is the cry of many a guy trying not to get kicked to the curb by his wife or girlfriend. But women are skeptical, and for good reason. Real life change is difficult. Acts tells of…
